Recent experience in RM IB and Poolesville Global Ecology

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP-

Congratulations! The selection time can be so stressful but it’s great to have choices!

I have two kids one currently in Global and another that graduated from Global and is now at UMD in a STEM honors program. My kids have had friends at/and who have graduated from RMIB.

When we were choosing for my older one, the counselor gave the best advice and said there are no better/worse programs but there are bad reasons for choosing them. The best reason to choose a program is because it offers your child options that are meaningful. My quirky introverted children love the field trips and the sense of community that Global offers and that was the most important thing for them. Please don’t choose a program for prestige - unless your kid is very prestige focused. It doesn’t work in the end. We’ve seen kids flame out first hand. Depression and worse is a real issue when kids aren’t t happy.

Where your kid will flourish is the most important thing. 5 years from now no one will care whether your kid attended. Where they end up will be largely dictated by WHAT they did and how they performed in HS rather than where they went. I have no doubt the right child can be equally successful in both schools. Kids in my daughter’s graduating Global class went to schools like Penn, HYPS and MIT as well as Montgomery College and everything in between.

When the kids get to college, they will be evaluated against their new peers. There are no extra points for having gone to the “better” magnet. What I see from my older one’s college friends is that kids who graduate from schools that DCUM would shame do extraordinary things. My daughter has many friends who are doing amazing things in STEM having graduated from low ranked HS.

If your child is passionate, your child can get an excellent education in either school.

Questions I would ask…

How do the commutes compare? What time do the buses drop off and pick up for your location? Sleep is really important for HS students.

What activities is your child interested in? What school offers the best choices? Robotics- Poolesville has an edge Music/Arts- RMIB no question etc.

Do your child participate in after school activities not managed by the school like CYO? How difficult would it be to get your child to various activities in time?

What curriculum is better for your child’s interests? Not sure about RMIB but in GE there are a lot of elective spaces to focus on areas of interest AP Bio/ Anatomy, AP Chem, Physics, Differential Equations etc.

What does your child think of the vibe at either school? Meeting the students where does your child think they will fit in better.

Take a deep breathe! Good Luck!

Best advice on here by far.

[Anonymous]

Bumping up this old thread… Please share any recent experiences related to Poolesville Global Ecology program. Likes? Dislikes? Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Global Ecology

Likes:
Nice Peer Group
Field Trips
Advanced Science and Math Electives
Academically focused peer group in nonmagnet electives (2/3 of school is in one of 3 test- in magnets)
Country Setting
Embedding environmental stewardship into curriculum

Dislikes:
School Construction
Far (from everything)
Requires AP Seminar/Research

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Global Ecology

Likes:
Nice Peer Group
Field Trips
Advanced Science and Math Electives
Academically focused peer group in nonmagnet electives (2/3 of school is in one of 3 test- in magnets)
Country Setting
Embedding environmental stewardship into curriculum

Dislikes:
School Construction
Far (from everything)
Requires AP Seminar/Research

What's wrong with AP Research/Seminar?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Global Ecology

Likes:
Nice Peer Group
Field Trips
Advanced Science and Math Electives
Academically focused peer group in nonmagnet electives (2/3 of school is in one of 3 test- in magnets)
Country Setting
Embedding environmental stewardship into curriculum

Dislikes:
School Construction
Far (from everything)
Requires AP Seminar/Research

What's wrong with AP Research/Seminar?

In our household, it led to lots of nagging since my kid is a procrastinator. In terms of intellectual development, I’m sure it’s great though.

[Anonymous]

AP Research/Seminar are hard! Lots of writing, analysis. It's like writing a thesis each year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Global Ecology

Likes:
Nice Peer Group
Field Trips
Advanced Science and Math Electives
Academically focused peer group in nonmagnet electives (2/3 of school is in one of 3 test- in magnets)
Country Setting
Embedding environmental stewardship into curriculum

Dislikes:
School Construction
Far (from everything)
Requires AP Seminar/Research

Construction's almost done for the classrooms.

[Anonymous]

Child chose RMIB last year over Global and regrets it. Has friends in Global who are having a really fun time and learning a lot. We had one of the kids over the other day and they stayed for dinner and it seems like the high school experience we'd have really loved for our own child.

We didn't really understand the program that well as it is farther away so it was our mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Child chose RMIB last year over Global and regrets it. Has friends in Global who are having a really fun time and learning a lot. We had one of the kids over the other day and they stayed for dinner and it seems like the high school experience we'd have really loved for our own child.

We didn't really understand the program that well as it is farther away so it was our mistake.

What are the drawbacks of RMIB? Our kid liked the poolesville house theme + smaller school but if you didn't have that specific interest, I would think RM would be a good choice.

[Anonymous]

Just FYI, students in PHS Global take AP Seminar as Freshman but then can choose to take the Project Lead The Way path or do an internship instead of doing AP Research.

The program is really nicely balanced - plenty of ways to pursue rigor but the field trips and camaraderie are really great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Child chose RMIB last year over Global and regrets it. Has friends in Global who are having a really fun time and learning a lot. We had one of the kids over the other day and they stayed for dinner and it seems like the high school experience we'd have really loved for our own child.

We didn't really understand the program that well as it is farther away so it was our mistake.

What are the drawbacks of RMIB? Our kid liked the poolesville house theme + smaller school but if you didn't have that specific interest, I would think RM would be a good choice.

I'm that PP and while it's a very strong program academically it's just really boring. There's nothing special to distinguish it whereas Poolesville has personality and so does Blair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, students in PHS Global take AP Seminar as Freshman but then can choose to take the Project Lead The Way path or do an internship instead of doing AP Research.

The program is really nicely balanced - plenty of ways to pursue rigor but the field trips and camaraderie are really great.

In my opinion, PLTW is an overhyped program at PHS where the students don’t really learn much. My older GE student was in it and it was a waste of time. My younger one is taking much more rigorous electives instead like AP Chem/Physics.

We’ve seen multiple families (agree with their feet)where the older one takes PLTW and the younger one doesn’t.

It’s a “social experiment” at PHS. A large number of the kids in the program are very average non-magnet students. They “sell” the program to both groups.

[Anonymous]

PP again- Just want to clarify my comment, Since ISP is the program for local students, there are kids all across board in the program in terms of academic achievement.

There are some very bright ISP students but the PLTW program is not built just for top local achievers plus magnet. It’s more of an “everyone” that is interested program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, students in PHS Global take AP Seminar as Freshman but then can choose to take the Project Lead The Way path or do an internship instead of doing AP Research.

The program is really nicely balanced - plenty of ways to pursue rigor but the field trips and camaraderie are really great.

In my opinion, PLTW is an overhyped program at PHS where the students don’t really learn much. My older GE student was in it and it was a waste of time. My younger one is taking much more rigorous electives instead like AP Chem/Physics.

We’ve seen multiple families (agree with their feet)where the older one takes PLTW and the younger one doesn’t.

It’s a “social experiment” at PHS. A large number of the kids in the program are very average non-magnet students. They “sell” the program to both groups.

I completely disagree. My PLTW students did well in the classes and received college credit that actually transferred and had a few schools offer a extra PLTW subsidized scholarship. Most importantly, they were able to gain clarity on college major. I should add that both of my GE/PLTW students also took AP Chem, AP Physics 1&2, AP Calc BC, Multivariable and AP Physics C. Very easy to carve a path of max rigor and include PLTW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just FYI, students in PHS Global take AP Seminar as Freshman but then can choose to take the Project Lead The Way path or do an internship instead of doing AP Research.

The program is really nicely balanced - plenty of ways to pursue rigor but the field trips and camaraderie are really great.

In my opinion, PLTW is an overhyped program at PHS where the students don’t really learn much. My older GE student was in it and it was a waste of time. My younger one is taking much more rigorous electives instead like AP Chem/Physics.

We’ve seen multiple families (agree with their feet)where the older one takes PLTW and the younger one doesn’t.

It’s a “social experiment” at PHS. A large number of the kids in the program are very average non-magnet students. They “sell” the program to both groups.

Interesting. My kid is completely not interested in it and was feeling bad for not going that route!